Statement
MomsRising Celebrates Passage of Maryland Paid Sick Days Legislation
April 5, 2017
Lisa Lederer, 202-371-1996
Statement from Kristin Rowe-Finkbeiner, CEO and Executive Director of MomsRising.org, a national online and on-the-ground organization of more than 30 thousand Maryland members and more than 1 million mothers and their families across the country, on the Maryland House of Delegates’ passage of the Healthy Working Families Act
“Today, the Maryland House of Delegates passed HB 1, the Healthy Working Families Act, a badly needed earned sick days bill that will increase financial security and provide peace of mind to working families across the state, and strengthen the state’s economy. The bill is now on its way to Governor Hogan’s desk and we urge him to rethink his opposition to this commonsense legislation and sign it into law immediately. The Maryland Healthy Working Families Act protects twice as many working people as the Governor's proposal and boosts families and the economy.
“Across Maryland, 750,000 working people do not have any paid sick days they can use to care for themselves or their children when they get sick. This means working Marylanders often have to make impossible choices between going to work sick – or sending a sick child to school – and forfeiting a much needed day’s pay. People of color, and particularly women of color, are hit hardest by the lack of access to paid sick days – approximately half of Latina workers and more than a third of African American women currently cannot earn paid sick days.
“The Healthy Working Families Act would help working moms like Donna from Severn who shared with us:
“I once had to bring my sick child to work, and have her sleep on chairs in the nurses' report room because she couldn't go to daycare, and my backup provider was out of town. I cried all the way home at the end of my shift, and vowed I would never do that to my child again, even if I was at risk of getting fired, and struggling financially.”
“The Healthy Working Families Act would also boost families like Gina’s, from Baltimore, whose multiple sclerosis has caused her to occasionally have to call out sick from the restaurant where she works. When Gina gets sick and has to miss work, she loses a much needed day of pay.
“For the last five years, Maryland MomsRising members and our partners in the Working Matters coalition have worked tirelessly to pass paid sick days legislation. MomsRising members and their children have donned superhero capes and visited Annapolis to meet legislators and delivered books filled with stories from our members across the state that illustrate the importance of earned sick leave. The coalition’s leadership and advocacy made this victory possible, and we thank them for all of their hard work.
“Passage of the Healthy Working Families Act is a monumental victory for Maryland’s working families. We thank the delegates for their votes and their support. Now is the time for Governor Hogan to sign this legislation and make paid sick days a reality in Maryland. It’s the right choice for our workers, our families, our businesses and our economy.”
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MEDIA NOTE: If interested in interviewing a Maryland MomsRising member who would benefit from paid sick days, please contact Emily Hecker at 202-371-1999 or emily@prsolutionsdc.com.